Water aerating device

ABSTRACT

A device for aerating water in a bathtub by a flow of heated air supplied to the device from a remote source. The device comprises a generally oval flat bottom base with a top section permanently attached thereto. The top section is formed with an inverted outer U-shaped channel extending around the periphery of the top section and forming an air passage with the base. Another similarly shaped central channel extends from one end of the top section longitudinally along the top section forming another air passage. The channels are supplied with the heated air under pressure through a connected hose, and the air then flows into the water through a plurality of spaced holes formed in the channels. An opening is formed in the outer channel to provide access into both outer and central channels for cleaning. A slip collar is mounted on the supply air hose coupling to permit regulation of the amount of water aeration. A seat is formed integrally on the top section to provide a comfortable area upon which the bather may sit when using the device.

United States Patent [191 Melreit 1 1 June 4, 1974 15 WATER AERATINGDEvicE [75] inventor: Robert V. Melreit, Gates Mills, Ohio [73]Assignee: Royal Appliance Manufacturing Co.,

Inc., Highland Heights, Ohio [22] Filed: Jan. 14, 1972 [21] Appl. No.:217,849

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 727,425 5/1903 Vonorth 4/1801,034,919 8/1912 Leuschner 4/180 2,663,178 12/1953 Schwartz 1 1 1 14/180 X 2,793,640 5/1957 Schwartz 1 4/180 X 2,848,203 8/1958 Misiura4/180 X 3,075,520 1/1963 Sparks 128/66 3,240,208 3/1966 Everston....128/66 3.417.747 12/1968 Beger t 128/66 3,614,792 10/1971 Sierant .14/185 X Primary Examiner-Tim R. Miles Assistant ExaminerWilliamCuchlinski 57 1 ABSTRACT A device for aerating water in a bathtub by aflow of heated air supplied to the device from a remote source. Thedevice comprises a generally oval flat bottom base with a top sectionpermanently attached thereto. The top section is formed with an invertedouter U-shaped channel extending around the periphery of the top sectionand forming an air passage with the base. Another similarly shapedcentral channel extends from one end of the top section longitudinallyalong the top section forming another air passage. The channels aresupplied with the heated air under pressure through a connected hose,and the air then flows into the water through a plurality of spacedholes formed in the channels. An opening is formed in the outer channelto provide access into both outer and central channels for cleaning. Aslip collar is mounted on the supply air hose coupling to permitregulation of the amount of water aeration. A seat is formed integrallyon the top section to provide a comfortable area upon which the bathermay sit when using the device.

3 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures Pmsminm 4 914- WATER AERATING DEVICEBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention Theinventionrelates to an aerating device and in particular to a wateraerating device for use by an individual in a bathtub while bathing. Theaerating device is placed in the bathtub and is connected to a remotesource of heated air which is blown under pressure into the device. Theheated air leaves the aerating device through a plurality of openings,aerating the bath water and providing a soothing feeling to a bathersitting on the device.

2. Description of the Prior Art Numerous devices for blowing air or amixture of air and water into a bathtub filled with water to providegreater comfort to a bather have been developed and used throughout theyears. Examples of such devices are shown in US. Pat. Nos. 1,034,919,1,350,974, 2,793,640 and 3,240,208.

Such devices generally are formed by two halfsections, a bottom and top,which are connected together to form the completed unit. The twosections are removably connected so that the sections can be separatedfor cleaning since deposits of soap and dirt form easily on the innersurfaces of the sections.

These sections heretofore have been difficult to fabricate so that awater and airtight seal is formed when the sections are joined due tothe need for providing a means for easy separation of the sections forcleaning. Likewise, these prior devices are formed of rigid materialswhich are uncomfortable to sit or recline on, thus defeating the purposefor which they were intended, that of relaxation for the bather, Theseprior rigid devices also do not deform to match the contour of theparticular bathtub in which they are used, occasionally resulting in anunevenly positioned or improperly positioned device.

It is difficult and impractical to use less rigid materials in themanufacture of prior devices, since greater flexibility of the sectionsincreases the problem of providing a water and airtight connection.

Unless the air entering the device is heated, the temperature of thebath water quickly decreases due to the agitation caused by the air flowthrough the water, thus shortening the bathing time or increasing theamount of hot water needed to maintain a uniform water temperature.

Accordingly the need has existed for a water aerating device for use ina bathtub which can be fabricated easily from semi-rigid material toform a single air and watertight unit, which can be cleaned easily toprovide a sanitary device and which is comfortable to sit upon whilebathing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Objectives of the invention include providing awater aerating device for use in a bathtub to aerate the bath water withheated air to provide a comforting and soothing effect to a bather;providing a water aerating device which is formed easily andinexpensively in two dissimilar half-sections which are permanentlysecured together with an air and watertight seam; providing a wateraerating device which is formed of a semi-rigid material which enablesthe device to conform to the shape of the bathtub bottom surface onwhich it is used when seated upon, and which is formed with a contouredseat further adding to the comfort of a bather; providing a wateraerating device having a regulating device permitting the bather tocontrol easily and conveniently the amount of water aeration andagitation; providing a water aerating device having an access openingfor cleaning and sanitizing the device to prevent buildup of soap anddirt film within the device; providing a water aerating device which isformed with air passages having a plurality of openings arranged toprovide a uniform flow of air around a bather; and providing a wateraerating device which is simple in construction and operation, which isinexpensive to manufacture and sturdy and durable in use, and whicheliminates difficulties heretofore encountered, achieves the objectivesindicated, and solves problems and satisfies needs existing in the art.

These objects and advantages are obtained by the water aerating device,the general nature of which may be stated as including upper and lowersections of semirigid material; means permanently securing said sectionstogether; the lower section being generally elongated and flat, andadapted to rest on the bottom surface of a bathtub; the upper sectionhaving a plurality of upwardly projecting generally U-shaped channelmeans, the channel means having top and side walls forming air passages;said lower section forming the bottom for said air passages when saidupper and lower sections are secured together; said channel means beingformed with a plurality of spaced holes communicating with said airpassages; the channel means including a first or outer channel sectionextending around the outer edge of the upper section, and a secondcentral section communicating with said first channel section andextending longitudinally along the upper section; seat means formedintegrally of the upper section at one end thereof and extendingupwardly beyond the channel means, so that a bather may sit upon theseat means when using the device; access means formed in a side wall ofthe channel means first section generally aligned with the axis of thechannel means second section, and communicating with the air passages ofsaid channel means first and second sections to enable cleaning of saidair passages; air inlet means in the upper section communicating withthe air passages for distributing air blown from a remote source intothe air passages and thence out through the channel means holes; andadjustment means mounted on the air inlet means for adjusting the amountof air flowing into the air passages.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 2 is a perspective view of theimproved water aerating device;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the water aerating device takenon line 3-3, FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 44, FIG. 1;

FIG. is an enlarged fragmentary end elevation, with portions in section,looking in the direction of arrows 5-5, FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary section view taken on line 66, FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view looking in the directionof arrows 7-7, FIG. 2.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The improved water aeratingdevice is generally indicated at 1 (FIG. 1) and is shown placed in ausual bathtub 2 located within an alcove formed by walls 3. A usual airblower unit 4 is located remote from device 1 and is connected theretoby a flexible hose 5. Air

blower 4 is connected to a usual source of electric power by means ofsupply cord 6 and the blower supplies a flow of heated air through hose5 to aerator The upper half-section 7 is an integral sheet of suchmaterial having generally the same outline and size as base 8. Section 7is formed with an inverted U-shaped channel 11 whichextends around theperiphery of section 7, having channel side portions which extendinwardly longitudinally from the larger oval end and join at the smalleroval end as shown in FIG. 2. Channel 1] has side walls or legs, 13 andwhich project upwardly with respect to base 8 and terminate in top webwall 11a. Walls 13, 15 and 11a form an air passage 12 which is closed bybase 8. Outer wall 13 terminates in a flange 14 which forms the outeredge of section 7. Inner wall 15 terminates in the flat central area 16.

In accordance with the invention, flange l4 and the portion of area 16adjacent wall 15 are attached permanently to base 8, preferably by anadhesive 17 or other bonding agent, or by dielectric welding. Thispermanent and rigid attachment of flange 14 and area 16 to base 8 alongthe sides of channel 11 provides a water and airtight connection betweensection 7 and 8 in forming air passage 12.

Another inverted U-shaped channel 18, similar to channel 11, is formedin the central area 16 of section 7 (FIGS. 2 and 4) and extendslongitudinally along aerator 1 from the junction of the inwardlyextending side portions of channel 11 at smaller end 10, approxiofchannel 18 in. a manner similar to channel 11, such as by adhesive 17. 5

The remaining portions of area 16 between channels 11 and 18 also may bebonded to base 8 by an adhesive or may be attached thereto by rivets orother fastening means.

A further improvement in aerator l is the formation of a seat, indicatedgenerally at 25, and located at larger end 9 of aerator 1. Seat 25 isplatform-like and includes a laterally gextendingfront wall portion 26,a continuous curved side and rear wall portion 27, and a top wall 28,all of which are integrally formed in upper section 7.

Wall portion 27 of seat 25 and inner leg 15 of channel ll join in a flatarea 29 (FIGS. 2 and 3) which is bonded by adhesive 17 to base 7 to sealthe remaining portion of channel 11 to form air passage 12.

Seat top wall 28 is slightly concave and has a raised portion 30 inorder to provide greater comfort to a bather. Seat 25 will have somedegree of resilience due to the semi-rigid nature of the material used,adding further comfort to the bather. A bather will not sit or reclinedirectly on the flat or channeled surface of the aerator body or shellas is the case with prior devices, but can sit comfortably on a raisedseat.

A coupling tube '31 is formed on outer channel 11 at the junction withchannel 18 and extends upwardly therefrom and is attached to hose 5(FIGS. 2 and 5).

Hose 5 is telescoped over tube 31 and held frictionally thereon,permitting'easy attachment and removal of hose 5 for use of aerator 1.

An annular groove 32 is formed on tube 31 by spaced annular collars 33which retain split-ring 34 on tube 31.

A vent opening 35 is formed in tube 31 within groove 32 for regulatingthe amount of aeration, which vents a portion of the flow of heated air.Split-ring 34 may be rotated to cover or expose various portions ofopening 35,- which enables varying amounts of air to escape to theatmosphere through the open portion of opening 35, thereby reducingcorrespondingly the amount of air flowing into air passages 12 and 24.

FIG. 5 shows opening 35 completely exposed by split-ring 34 thusreducing considerably the amount of aeration produced by aerator 1.Split-ring 34 preferably is formed of rust-resistant plastic and ismanipulated easily by a bather while seated on the aerator. The

mately one-half the length of aerator 1. One end 19 of channel 18 flaresoutwardly and connects to and communicates with the junction of theinwardly extending side portions of channel 11 at end 10 of aerator land the opposite end 20 of channel 18 is closed. Side walls 21 and 22,and top web wall 23 of channel 18 form air passage 24 similar to airpassage 12 of channel 11.

Walls 21 and 22 of-channel l8 terminate in flat area 16 (FIG. 4) whichis secured permanently to base 8 along both channel side walls andaround closed end 20 flow of heated air through tube 31 prevents bathwater from flowing through opening 35 into tube.31.

An access opening 36 is formed in a thickened portion 37 of channel 11at the junction with channel 18 at smaller end 10 of aerator 1. Opening36 is longitudinally aligned with central channel 18 and is sealed by aplug 38 threaded into opening 36.

Opening 36 enables the inner surfaces of aerator 1 to be cleaned easilyby inserting a long stem flexible brush, such as a tube or bottle brush,through opening 36 directly into air passage 24of channel 18 and intoair passage 12 of channel 11. vThe scrubbing action of the insertedbrush bristles will loosen any scale or soap film formed or collected onthe inside surfaces of channels 11 and 18. A disinfectant or deodorizingliquid also may be poured through opening 36 into channel passages 12and 24.

Channels 11 and 18 are formed with a plurality of spaced holes 39through whichthe heated air from blower 4 escapes and aerates the bathwater. Holes 39 preferably are spaced along channels 11 and 18 with auniform axial separation, as indicated by the distance X on channel 11(FIG. 7), in groups of three extending diagonally across the channels.The middle hole 39a is formed in the top walls of the channels withholes 3% and 390 being formed in the side walls of the channels.

This particular arrangement of holes 39 provides for a uniformly andevenly dispersed air flow into the bath water, and also reduces thepossibility of sealing the holes by the legs or arms of the bather.Holes 3% and 39c especially are less susceptible to sealing due to theirlocation on the sides of the channels.

Seat raises the bather above most air holes 39 thereby preventing theirsealing and enables the air flow to surround the bather due to thelocation of seat 25 within the periphery of channel 11. Channel 18provides considerable water aeration and agitation about theoutstretched legs of a bather seated on seat 25.

Blower 4 preferably has a motor of the usual type in which the intakeairfor the blower first passes through the motor housing for cooling themotor before being discharged from the blower. In this manner the blownair is heated before it enters hose 5 and aerator 1.

Thus, the heat from the motor is transferred to the bath water as theair bubbles up through the water from passages 12 and 24, and rapidcooling of the water is prevented, which would 'occur if the air flowhad an ambient air temperature. This type of motor-blower 4 has the dualbenefit of cooling the motor and of heating the air supplied to aerator1.

The improved water aerator H has a number of advantageous features.Upper and lower section '7 and 8 are secured permanently togetherproviding a secure sealed connection which enables air passages 12 and24 to be water and airtight. Sections 7 and 8 can be molded easily andinexpensively of a semirigid plastic, each section being an integralcomponent free of additional parts and attachments. The use of suchplastic material enables the aerator to conform to the contour of abathtub bottom surface without loosening the bond between the twosections. Such plastic material enables aerator l to be produced invarious colors, is rust resistant, and will not scratch or mar thebathtub. Seat 25 provides a comfortable support on which a bather maysit during use of aerator l and raises the main portions of the bathersbody above air holes 39, thereby reducing considerably the possibilityof sealing holes 339 closed. Opening 36 and removable plug 38 enable theinner surface of aerator 1 to be cleaned and sanitized easily.

Other advantages include the adjustment of the amount of aeration by thesimple twisting of slip-ring 34 while the bather remains seated onaerator l in a tub. Likewise, air-blower 4 is remote from the tubreducing the possibility of electrical shock to the bather, and blower.4 supplies heated air to aerator I preventing rapid cooling of the bathwater.

Another advantage is the particular arrangement of air passages 12 and24 and air holes 39, whereby the flow of air surrounds and contacts mostportions of the bathers body submersed in the water.

Accordingly, the improved water aerating device is simplified, providesan effective, sanitary, inexpensive and efficient device for aeratingbath water; provides a water aerating device achieving all theenumerated objectives; and provides for eliminating difiicultiesencountered with prior aerators, and solves problems and obtains newresults in the art.

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity,clearness and understanding; but no unnecessary limitations are to beimplied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art, because suchterms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadlyconstrued.

Moreover, the description and illustration of the invention is by way ofexample, and the scope of the in vention is not limited to the exactdetailsshown or described.

Having now described the features, discoveries and principles of theinvention, the manner in which the water aerating device is constructedand used, the characteristics of the new construction, and theadvantageous, new and useful results obtained; the new and usefulstructures, devices, elements, arrangements, parts, and combinations areset forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A water aerating device for use in a bathtub including upper andlower sections of semi-rigid plastic material; said upper and lowersections being generally oval in shape with one end of each of saidsections having a larger radius of curvature than its opposite end;means permanently securing said sections together; the lower sectionbeing generally elongated and fiat, and adapted to rest on the bottomsurface of a bathtub; the upper section having a plurality of upwardlyprojecting generally U-shaped channel means, the channel means havingtop and side walls forming air passages; said lower section forming thebottom for said air pas-- upper and lower sections including sidechannel portions extending longitudinally inwardly from the larger ovalend and joining at the smaller oval end; the central channel sectioncommunicating with the outer channel section at the smaller oval end atthe junction of the inwardly extending side channel portions, andextending longitudinally along the upper section toward the larger ovalend; seat means having a raised platform with integral top and sidewalls formed integrally of the upper section; said seat means beingspaced from and within the outer channel section at the larger oval endand extending upwardly above the channel means, so that a bather may situpon said seat means when using said device; access means including anopening formed in a side wall of the channel means outer section at thejunction of the side channel portions and central channel section, andbeing aligned with the axis of the channel means central section at thesmaller oval end; said access opening communicating with the airpassages of said channel means outer and central sections to enablecleaning of said air passages; the access means having a plug removablymounted in said opening; and air inlet means in the upper sectioncommunicating I with the air passages at the junction of the outer andcentral channel sections for distributing air blown from a remote sourceinto the air passages and thence out through the channel means holes.

2. The device defined in claim 1 in which the air inlet means includes acoupling tube section; and in which said coupling is provided with meansfor adjusting the amount of blown air flowing into the air passages.

sphere through said openings.

1. A water aerating device for use in a bathtub including upper andlower sections of semi-rigid plastic material; said upper and lowersections being generally oval in shape with one end of each of saidsections having a larger radius of curvature than its opposite end;means permanently securing said sections together; the lower sectionbeing generally elongated and flat, and adapted to rest on the bottomsurface of a bathtub; the upper section having a plurality of upwardlyprojecting generally U-shaped channel means, the channel means havingtop and side walls forming air passages; said lower section forming thebottom for said air passages when said upper and lower sectioNs aresecured together; said channel means being formed with a plurality ofspaced holes communicating with said air passages; the channel meansincluding an outer channel section extending around the outer edge ofthe upper section, and a central channel section; said outer channelsection being generally oval in shape matching the contour of the upperand lower sections including side channel portions extendinglongitudinally inwardly from the larger oval end and joining at thesmaller oval end; the central channel section communicating with theouter channel section at the smaller oval end at the junction of theinwardly extending side channel portions, and extending longitudinallyalong the upper section toward the larger oval end; seat means having araised platform with integral top and side walls formed integrally ofthe upper section; said seat means being spaced from and within theouter channel section at the larger oval end and extending upwardlyabove the channel means, so that a bather may sit upon said seat meanswhen using said device; access means including an opening formed in aside wall of the channel means outer section at the junction of the sidechannel portions and central channel section, and being aligned with theaxis of the channel means central section at the smaller oval end; saidaccess opening communicating with the air passages of said channel meansouter and central sections to enable cleaning of said air passages; theaccess means having a plug removably mounted in said opening; and airinlet means in the upper section communicating with the air passages atthe junction of the outer and central channel sections for distributingair blown from a remote source into the air passages and thence outthrough the channel means holes.
 2. The device defined in claim 1 inwhich the air inlet means includes a coupling tube section; and in whichsaid coupling is provided with means for adjusting the amount of blownair flowing into the air passages.
 3. The device defined in claim 2 inwhich the adjustment means includes an annular split-ring having splitends providing an opening, the ring being mounted on and concentric withthe coupling tube; and in which the coupling tube is formed with anopening; whereby the ring may be moved so that the ring opening is in orout of alignment with the tube opening, thereby venting amounts of theblown air into the surrounding atmosphere through said openings.